Patna High Court
Rajo DeviversusThe State of Bihar
- Decided
- Disposal
- DISPOSED
- Bench
- SATYAVRAT VERMA
Holding
The Court granted provisional anticipatory bail to the petitioner, subject to bond, sureties, and verification of her antecedent.
Summary
Rajo Devi was implicated in a case under Section 30(a) of the Bihar Excise Act for the alleged recovery of 62.7 litres of liquor from two motorcycles, one of which she owned. She was not arrested at the spot and no liquor was found in her immediate possession, asserting that she was unaware of any misuse of her vehicle. The petitioner, represented by counsel, sought anticipatory bail, emphasizing her clean antecedent and lack of direct involvement. The State opposed the bail, arguing the seriousness of the offence. The High Court, after considering the submissions, granted provisional anticipatory bail subject to a bond of Rs. 500 and two sureties, with a condition that the trial court verify her antecedent and possibly revoke the bail if any prior case is discovered.
Issues considered
- Whether the petitioner is entitled to anticipatory bail under Section 482(2) of the BNSS in a case under Section 30(a) of the Bihar Excise Act
- Whether ownership of the seized vehicle alone suffices to implicate the petitioner in the offence
Legislation cited
- Bihar Excise Act — s. 30(a)
- Bihar Negotiable Securities Act (BNSS) or Criminal Procedure Code — s. 482(2)
Subjects
- anticipatory bail
- excise law
- liquor seizure
- vehicle ownership
- clean antecedent
- Section 30(a) Bihar Excise Act
- Section 482(2) High Court powers
Judgment
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.45884 of 2026
Arising Out of PS. Case No.-212 Year-2025 Thana- BIRPUR District- Supaul
======================================================
Rajo Devi W/O Suresh Paswan R/O Vill.- Jogbani Tola Manpur, P.S.-
Gamhariya, Dist.- Madhepura.
... ... Petitioner/s
Versus
The State of Bihar Patna
... ... Opposite Party/s
======================================================
Appearance :
For the Petitioner/s : Mr.Naresh Kumar Mehta
For the Opposite Party/s : Mr.Suresh Prasad Singh
======================================================
CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SATYAVRAT VERMA
ORAL ORDER
2 09-07-2026 1. Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and
learned A.P.P. for the State.
2. The petitioner apprehends her arrest in a case
registered for the offences punishable under Section 30(a) of the
Bihar Excise Act.
3. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the
petitioner is a person with clean antecedent and is a woman
allegation is of recovery of 62.7 litres of liquor from two
motorcycles.
4. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the
petitioner was not arrested from the spot as such nothing was
recovered from her conscious possession and she came to be
implicated based on the fact that she is owner of one of the
seized motorcycles. It is next submitted that no prudent person
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would use her own vehicle for committing an occurrence and
thus would create evidence against herself and hence would get
implicated, it is further submitted that petitioner was completely
unaware that Suman would misuse the vehicle in the manner as
alleged, who was also apprehended from the spot along with
Mithilesh and Suman. It is also submitted that it is not the case
of the prosecution that they saw a woman fleeing from the place
of occurrence.
5. Learned A.P.P. for the State opposes the prayer for
anticipatory bail of the petitioner.
6. Considering the submissions made by the learned
counsel for the petitioner, the petitioner above-named, in the
event of her arrest or surrender within a period of six weeks
from today, be released on Provisional anticipatory bail on
furnishing bail bonds of Rs. 500/- (Rupees Five Hundred) with
two sureties of the like amount each to the satisfaction of the
learned trial court where the case is pending/successor court in
connection with Birpur P.S. Case No. 212 of 2025, subject to the
conditions as laid down under Section 482(2) of the BNSS.
7. It is made clear that thereafter the learned Trial Court
shall verify the criminal antecedent of the petitioner and in the
event if it is found that petitioner has antecedent of even one case
then it would be presumed that petitioner, for the purposes of
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seeking anticipatory bail, had concealed her antecedent before this
Court, as such, the provisional anticipatory bail order shall not be
confirmed, but after verification if it is found that petitioner is a
person with clean antecedent in that event the provisional
anticipatory bail order shall be confirmed forthwith.
(Satyavrat Verma, J)
Sumit/-
U T
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